This roots reggae classic has been out of print since 2007! Most copies ended up in Europe and Japan back then, so we figured it was time to dig up the old parts and make it available once again. Now on RED VINYL, limited to 330 copies once again!

A seminal force in the East Coast ska scene, KING DJANGO has made his name as a songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and label owner (Stubborn Records). His versatility within genres of punk, rhythm & blues, and Jamaican grooves is unmatched, starting early as the singer / trombonist of legendary NYC ska band The Boilers (1986-1988), evolving through reggae/soul/punk/jazz experimentalists Skinnerbox (1989-1998), and achieving mainstream recognition with traditional ska supergroup Stubborn All-Stars (1994-1998). After the ska revival died down, King Django was able to devote his full energy on solo material: “Roots and Culture” (Triple Crown Records, 1998) combined ska, reggae and traditional klezmer music; while “Reason” (Hellcat / Epitaph, 2001) was an adventurous, eclectic self-produced album of rock deeply grounded in roots-reggae, dancehall, hip-hip, and drum and bass. In late 2003, King Django returned to Europe to record “King Django Meets The Scrucialists,” unleashing twelve brilliant slices of political roots reggae, rockers, dub, lovers rock, ska and dancehall, including two dueling sides with German microphone superstar DR RING DING. King Django has toured internationally many times over with Skinnerbox, Stubborn All Stars, Rancid, The Toasters, and legendary NYC hardcore band Murphy’s Law. In 2004, Django launched two SKA MOB tours, joining Dr Ring Ding and Eastern Standard Time across the United States and Canada. In the studio, King Django has worked closely with fellow NYC pals The Slackers, plus he recorded with Tim Armstrong & Lars Fredrickson of Rancid and Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on Stubborn All Stars “Back with A New Batch” in 1997 (Triple Crown). At about the same time, King Django began collecting equipment to launch the now legendary Version City studios. A steady flow of bands quickly flocked to this NY mecca to absorb Django¹s knowledge, production and engineering skills, resulting in several “VERSION CITY” multi-artist collections including “Version City Sessions” released on Asian Man records and “Version City Rockers – Darker Roots” on Antifaz Records, featuring legendary Jamaican singers including Sugar Minott, Yabba You, Sister Nancy, Ranking Joe, and Cedric Brooks.

The result: twelve crucial roots reggae cuts utilizing tuff original riddims, complex lyrical structures, and “battles” with Rocker T and Dr Ring Ding. Musically, “Roots Tonic” harkens back to the positive political reggae of the late 70’s / early 80’s spearheaded by legendary imprints Island, Frontline, Trojan, Heartbeat, On-U Sound and Greensleeves. That was a time where songwriting was key, conscious lyrics reigned supreme, reggae music was live and full of soul. “Dancehall” was in its infancy and still resembled reggae, unlike it’s mostly American hip-hop and R&B influences today. So sit back, take a heavy drink – its 100% organic — soak up Jamaica’s energy, strength, and soul with our cure-all: KING DJANGO’s “Roots Tonic” on JUMP UP / Stubborn Records!